Page 47 of C*cky Best Friend
“Are you sure?” Thick eyebrows knot with concern for her. “You want me to get you a tissue?”
“Do I look like I need a tissue?”
He lumbers off and returns with one. I am speechless, bewildered even, as I watch her take it as if he’s just handed her a bag of flaming dog-shit. Troy glances from me to her and marches back to the bathroom, slamming the door.
What. Just. Happened.
“Hey, uh,” I begin, trying to get my head around that. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I figured it was better to rip off the Band-Aid and come out with it.”
She blows her nose, wiping it a couple times before balling up the tissue and placing it on the couch next to her. “Rub it in, Logan, well done.”
“You know me better than that.”
Her shoulders relax as she huffs, “Fine. Why did you come here?”
“I could just be checking on how your leg is.”
“Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“No.”
“You are here because of something that has to do with Samantha. I don’t know what it is, but for sure it has to do with Sam. So why don’t you just spit it out so I can go back to watching my sad movies. I’m in a grieving process. I am crying as often as possible so that this doesn’t haunt me for the rest of my life. And I don’t care if it disturbs all of the men in my life. Including you! Including my dad!” She raises her voice to reach the bathroom. “And that includes you, too, Troy!”
He yanks open the door to shout, “I just don’t like to see you cry!”
“Get over it!”
“I’m trying to help you!”
“Well, stop!”
The door slams again.
She rubs her forehead, muttering, “Jeesh.”
The door opens, we hear thunderous footsteps marching across the hall. Another door slams a second later as he presumably sulks in his bedroom.
Marion locks eyes with me and waves her hand like she wants me to get on with it already.
I’m speechless. “Uh…uh…”
“Just spit it out!”
“It’s kind of a sensitive subject. I’m not sure if you’re in the right headspace.”
Her chin dips as she looks at me from underneath her slender eyebrows. “If you hold me back from watching my super sad drama movies, I am never going to be in the right headspace. What is it you want to tell me? That Samantha is going to Broadway? Do you think I don’t already know that? Do you think those tears were because you are going?”
My mouth was hanging open. I clamp it shut, shrug, and launch in, “What do you think about Asher, Marion?”
“I think he purposely let me fall so that Samantha would get the shot that I was made for. That’s what I think of Asher. I think he’s a scheming fuckhead who deserves someone to take him back to his knees — that’s what I think of Asher.”
I stammer, “Wait, hold on a second. You believe he did that and you’re not pursuing any kind of legal action against him?”
“There’s no way of proving it. I can’t even be sure. But I have a sneaking suspicion that snuck in right as it happened!”
“He’s going to Broadway after doing that to you!”
She throws her disgusting tissue at me. “Logan, you better get thicker skin if you’re going to be in show business.”